Stellaluna? Stellaluna! Who are you?

3rd Session
Creative Writing Class for Kids
April 25, 2015
R.E.A.D Tutorial Center
read1618@yahoo.com
09328872662
09178352662

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_2IOXyQPy-ZLE6bM7cvkjRm-Bwwf7-bkjqsgN54I60SryKxUk

StellaLuna is a BAT?

http://www.storylineonline.net/stellaluna/


Good morning! Rise and shine!

We'll begin our third session by watching a read-aloud of Stellaluna. Then we'll do a dramatic reading ourselves. 


The biggest task of the day is making a dummy of a picture storybook. 

First, we'll talk about lines, shapes, colors, and other visual elements. Then we'll look at several picture storybooks to understand that big concept called, "lay-out."

And then, we'll do a class dummy of a picture book.

Finally, each of us will make our own picture storybooks.

Who knows? One of us is the next Eric Carle!

Kids Deconstruct Anthony Browne's "Voices in the Park"

2nd Session
Creative Writing Class for Kids
Saturday, April 18, 2015

We read. We wrote. We chatted. We listened. We laughed. We fought. We cried. We made peace.

Lucas was very firm about making peace. No matter what the problem was, his Ninja warriors and generals must make peace in the end. 

Our second session last Saturday, April 18, 2015 was more than just a creative writing class. It was a lesson on empathy with the different voices in Anthony Browne's park and most of all, with the different voices of the children in the class.

We began our session with a 10-minute sustained silent reading. It was Kat who chose to read Voices in the Park. Afterwards, she chose the last frame as her favorite picture and WOW sentence.

"When I got home I put the flower in some water, and made Dad a nice cup of cocoa."  

(Note: If you haven't read Voices in the Park, do find a copy.)

Kat definitely doesn't know about last frames. She made an instinctive choice. I asked her why she liked the last frame. She told me, "Well, it was really nice of Charles to give Smudge a flower. And it was nice of Smudge to put the flower in some water and to make cocoa for her Dad."

I  asked again, "What does the flower symbolize?" I was afraid that symbolize was too big a word. 

But Kat repeated the word and said, "I think the flower symbolizes that there will be another flower." 

I stopped asking questions by saying, "So there's hope."

And Kat said nonchalantly, "Ah-huh."

Charles, the third voice in the story, is a lonely boy gorilla. He's the son of the first voice, a domineering Mrs. Gorilla. Smudge is a happy girl gorilla. The fourth voice, she's the daughter of Mr. Gorilla, the second voice.

To check on whether the kids were getting the hang of the story, I asked why the title of the book is Voices in the Park. 

"Whose is the first voice?" I prompted. Lucas promptly said, "Mrs. Gorilla!" And Kat said, "The second voice is Mr. Gorilla."

"So why is the title Voices in the Park?"

Sam said, "It shows the different sides of the story."

I'll tell you about our crying episode next time. 

Speaking to Learn: Kat and Lucas Chats, Laughs, Problem-Solves, Negotiates, etc.!

The children had been assigned to write and illustrate a comic strip. Individually. 

It was the first session of our Creative Writing Class for Kids last April 11, 2015. But Kat and Lucas wanted to work together. And they got the go-signal to do so.

Are they disobedient? Disruptive? Of course not. They're creative!

But they were "noisy."  The other kids who were working individually and quietly were irritated. Solution? I told Kat and Lucas to work in another corner of the room. Not a solution; they were still "noisy."

Better solution? I asked someone to lift the kiddy table and take it just outside our classroom which has a glass door. 

So we all worked in peace. 

Kat and Lucas actually had a blast while working together. They chatted away, laughed, solved their little clashes and their characters' problems, negotiated, divided the work between them, and completed four frames with dialogue and color illustration!

Lesson Learned? Some young children's learning style is cooperative and interactive. They speak to learn.

Ever Heard of the School for Good and Evil?

When Sam told me that her favorite book is School for Good and Evil, I knew there's something new for me to learn. I asked Sam to tell me about her favorite book.

It seems that in that school, witches go to the School for Evil and princesses go to the School for Good. But one witch and one princess went to the wrong school.

Quite an intriguing proposition, isn't it?

Sam will bring her favorite book on our second session, Saturday, April 18, 2015. 

Our Creative Writing Class will have a really interesting session this Saturday. See you all! 

What If Cinderella Met the Holy Family?

As the children writers were imagining a plot, Bella blurted out that her favorite character is Cinderella and she wants to make her "fall" into her book of Bible stories, just like Herb fell into the Goldilocks book with the three bears.

One child said, "That's impossible! There are no princes and queens and kings in the Bible."

Another child said, "Oh, yes, there are. Queen Esther, for example."

I said, "That's going to be really interesting! Cinderella "falling" into the Bible."

By the way, Herb is the main character in the book, "Who's afraid of the big bad book?" Herb "fell" into Goldilock's book and Goldilocks chased him away!

Would the Holy Family chase away Cinderella?

The Fab Four Goes to the Zoo!

Sam, Kat, Bella and Lucas went to the zoo on Saturday, April 11, 2015.  The zoo is located at the Bernabe Ninja Headquarters.  They were expecting lots of fun but they got lost... They fell into a book, a BIIIIIIIIIIG bad book!

What happened to the children?  What did they do to get back home?

Simple.  They wrote a rescue appeal and drew a path back home to their waiting dads and moms.

Welcome Summer 2015! Let's Write Away!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book? This is the title of a post-modern children's picture book written by Lauren Child.

Do you like the title? 

Is there a big bad book?

Why would anyone be afraid of the big bad book?

It's just a book!

If it's a big bad book, then it's not for children!

Are there bad books?

Well, let's find out tomorrow, Saturday, April 11. It's Session 1 of the Creative Writing Class for Kids. It will be held at R.E.A.D. Tutorial Center at 91 Bernabe St., Annex 1618, Better Living Subdivision, Paranaque City. 

(For details, call or text Teacher Anna C. Asuncion at mobile: 0932 8872662; 0917 835 2662.) 

Session begins at 9:00 a.m.; ends at 12 noon. You may bring your home-made "baon" (snacks), in addition to your notebook, pen or pencil, and crayons.

See you!